by Mike Snider, USA TODAY

by Mike Snider, USA TODAY

AUSTIN -- Marvel is flexing its creative and digital muscles at South By Southwest.

As part of a multi-faceted plan to enhance its online and mobile offerings, Marvel has a new wave of original video programming in the works, the comics giant announced Sunday at the SXSW Interactive Festival. Leading the charge: a new weekly show called Earth's Mightiest Show, hosted by Blair Butler, a comedian and former correspondent on G4's Attack of the Show.

Butler will offer a fun look at all things Marvel, from comics to upcoming films. "She has a great following and our fan base is really going to dig her," says Peter Phillips, Marvel's head of digital media.

The new series will run on Marvel.com, as does current coverage of live events such as premieres of such films as The Avengers and recurring shows such as Marvel Superheroes: What The--? and The Watcher. (Those will remain part of the programming schedule and will be buffed up.) But there's a possibility that some series might make their way to other devices and outlets, Phillips says. "We have a lot to talk about," he says. "We have our characters on the big screen and our characters on the smaller screen and we've got a lot of distribution opportunities especially with the way technology is evolving."

Also in the works are History Channel-like documentary and reality TV-style videos. "People love to take a look behind the curtain about how we tell our stories," says Marvel editor in chief Axel Alonso. "These editors, writers and artists are sort of celebrities in their own right. For every comic book and every digital comic, every story that is told, there's usually a wealth of incredible fun stories that we can share with fans. It's a window into the editors' offices, down the hallways of Marvel publishing and into the offices where the writers and artists work in."

That was just the start of Marvel's announcements Sunday. The comics company also plans to add music that plays along as you read digital comics on a tablet or smart phone. The music won't be on a loop but will react to the reader similarly to how a video game soundtrack does. "It's cued up to the characters and the storyline. It's basically adaptive and the music goes along with the pace that you are reading," Phillips says. "It really enhances the experience."

More digital-only, weekly Infinite comics are on the way, too, via the Web and iOS and Android devices, starting July 9 with Wolverine: Japan's Most Wanted ‚?? timed to coincide with The Wolverine movie, out July 26. The Wolverine series, and subsequent ones, will last 13 weeks and be produced with the help of monthly writers of the characters' print series. "They are essential reads for the comic fan," he says.

Using the touch-sensitive nature of mobile devices ‚?? and the rich color palette ‚?? provides "a sense of motion and special effects that aren't available on the printed page," Alonso says. "We look at it as a unique comic book reading experience that we are still harnessing the power of."

Also beefed up is Marvel's digital subscription service, which launched in 2007. The new version of the Marvel Unlimited service allows streaming of comics, as well as the ability to download six issues to a library that you can take with you when disconnected. Previously, readers had to be online on a browser to access and read the library.

More than 13,000 comics can now be streamed on the Web and a new iOS app; an Android version is in the works. Also planned are Amazon Prime-like features, discounts and special promotions. New subscribers can still join the service at its current $59.88 annual price; a slight cost increase is planned April 15.

To cap off Marvel's SXSW presentation, the company announced a free digital comics campaign. Fans can download more than 700 of the studio's No. 1 issues for free through 11 p.m. Tuesday (March 12), including popular characters such as the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, X-Men and Spider-Man.

"We hope that new fans find their favorite big-screen heroes and see what's inspired all the hit films, but also hope longtime fans take time to discover a new series or character they'd never considered," says David Gabriel, Marvel's senior vice president of sales, print and digital media. "We want folks to sample the great comics we've been publishing for decades and find their new favorite series, favorite hero and come back for more."